Do I pay tax on my gambling winnings?

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Free, confidential counselling and 24/7 helpline for problem gambling. New technical standards on volatility disclosure, feature transparency and spin speed for UKGC-licensed online slots. An independent, statutory complaints-handler with binding powers against operators. Operating unlicensed gambling facilities is a criminal offence under Sections 33 and 37, punishable on indictment by up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both. Under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 the UKGC can warn, fine, suspend or revoke an operator’s licence. A handful of UKGC-licensed operators accept crypto via regulated third-party processors — those are fine.

There will be some financial impacts for non-Bacta members which are not currently subject to the voluntary ban (Bacta represents 70% to 80% of the operators of seaside arcade/family entertainment centres where Category D cash payout slot machines are most commonly located). Preventing children interacting with adult-style, cash gambling play will reduce the opportunity for them to engage in activities which could potentially result in increased risk of harm. Putting ticket payout slot machines in this category could exacerbate the impact on seaside arcade economies by making these venues inaccessible to adults accompanied by children.

If you are leaving the British gambling market, the Gambling Commission has expectations of licensees in these situations. If you no longer need your licence, you can surrender it, partially or in full. This is a condition of your licence under LCCP Condition 8 – Display of licensed status. When you are issued a licence, we will display the details of your licence on the register. We provide details of all businesses and individuals we licence on our Public Register service.

Pre-commitment tools can significantly reduce harm for some and are on the whole unlikely to cause problems for others. Adjusting how they are provided, such as on an opt-out basis or with the input of behavioural science, builds incrementally on the existing requirements, which we expect will reduce implementation costs for industry. A number cited a report by Revealing Reality which provided insights for how the use of safer gambling controls can be normalised as a preventative measure, using the analogy of a seatbelt to show the benefits this could bring.

The Commission’s LCCP currently requires operators to make annual financial contributions to a list of research, prevention and treatment organisations. The changes will help consumers understand which operators protect their funds and which do not – information which will support them in making choices about who they gamble with. From 31 October 2025 operators whose customer funds are ‘not protected’ in the event of insolvency must actively remind consumers once every six months that their funds are not protected. Our work revealed recent changes by some operators on how deposit limits are offered, which could cause confusion for consumers. The Gambling Commission has today announced changes aimed at increasing consumer control over deposit limits and greater transparency of customer funds protection by operators.

Ofcom is given its powers to set fees by primary legislation which requires it to publish the principles behind its approach to setting licence fees and charges, called the ‘Statement of Charging Principles’. The Commission, under new leadership, has also set out an ambitious vision for how it should regulate the industry, which was not factored into the last fees review. This white paper also proposes an ambitious step change in gambling regulation and the regulator must have the funds it needs to match this level of ambition.

The exemption for these casinos will apply from 16 May 2024 (the date on which the consultation response was published) and take account of any already submitted expansion plans. The government proposes that venues will be required to comply with all specified sliding scale requirements in order to access the enhanced gaming machine entitlement. When asked about the proposed minimum gambling area, table gaming area and non-gambling area requirements, the table gaming element received one-third less support than the other 2 requirements.

The second priority is to ensure that customers receive a genuine offer of lower staking Category C and D gaming machines. As such, Option 2(a) has the added benefit of ensuring that all venues make a genuine offer of Category C and D gaming machines available to customers on device types which have genuine customer appeal. Responses stated that the commercial flexibility permitted by Option 2(b) would enable bingo operators to reduce the number of Category C and D gaming machines which they make available, while making slight increases in the number of Category B cabinet gaming machines. Both policy options are variations of Option 2, meaning that they focus on addressing the practice of operators siting increased numbers of Category B cabinet gaming machines by making lower staking Category C and D content available on in-fill and tablet gaming machines. The second objective is to ensure that customers are presented with a genuine offer of lower staking Category C and D gaming machines.

We will use the responses to this consultation as well as wider engagement with the sector to gather data to estimate the likely uptake of additional machines and removal of existing machines under each option. These machines can also offer customers Category C or D content on the same device. Industry trade non gamstop bodies have provided evidence which suggests that the removal of the 80/20 rule would result in a large-scale reduction of tablets and in-fill machines, although the extent to which tablets will be removed will vary by operator. In addition, there would be limited opportunities for operators to meet customer demand for Category B machines and increase GGY. Consequently, under Option 2 industry as a whole would have the flexibility to reduce the number of Category C and D machines and/or increase the overall number of Category B machines across the sector, saving energy and/or increasing overall GGY. It is possible that operators could use inaccessible tablets and in-fill machines to increase the overall number of Category B3 machines in their venues, undermining the principle of a balanced offer of higher and lower stake machines giving genuine choice to the customer.

Do I pay tax on my gambling winnings?

While the majority of operators were supportive of Option 2(b), one small multi-site operator stated that this option would be commercially detrimental, requiring it to make an additional 12 Category C or D cabinets available to meet this ratio. As with the original consultation, Option 3 continued to be the preferred option for bingo operators. Therefore, under Option 1, we believe there is significant potential for operators to offer predominantly Category B cabinets while meeting their Category C and D ratio through in-fills and tablets. This consultation sought to gather evidence as to how best to achieve our 2 policy objectives. We are particularly concerned that Option 1 may encourage new operators to enter the market with the specific intention of maximising their Category B cabinet offer in this way. Therefore, some respondents argued that Option 3 would be the most sensible long-term approach for securing safer gambling functionality and messaging across these venues.

The machines may be of categories B3A, B4, C or D, but by agreement, only one machine can be of sub-category B3A. The code relates to the provision of facilities for gaming machine gambling and includes requirements around the protection of children and other vulnerable people. To take advantage of this entitlement, the holder of the on-premises alcohol licence must give notice to the licensing authority and pay the prescribed fee. They are divided into categories depending on the maximum stake and prize available, the nature of the prizes and the nature of gambling for which the machine may be used, as well as the premises where it may be used. Licensed bingo premises include a range of establishments such as retail bingo clubs, high street arcades (which have a smaller bingo offer via bingo machines), and bingo venues in holiday parks.

This requirement is also subject to guidance issued by the Commission, the policy statement produced by the licensing authority and the three licensing objectives. The Council expects that applicants and existing operators will need to meet the specific GVZ policy and expect enhanced scrutiny from the Council to ensure that the operation is in line with that policy and the principles of the legislation. Westminster City Council recently introduced a new gambling policy statement which includes the designation of several Gambling Vulnerability Zones (GVZs). This enables a local planning authority (licensing authority) to take into account a variety of different factors, such as the balance of uses of an area or high street. Some submissions from licensing authorities suggested the ‘aim to permit’ provision should be removed altogether from the Act.

This should ensure that consumers, particularly those who are vulnerable, are better protected from illegal operators which are unlikely to offer the same safeguards that exist on legal sites. As outlined in the consultation which preceded the uplift, some of the increase in income has been devoted to more staff that are able to both identify the scale of the black market and take action to tackle illegal operators. The Commission will need to specify to the court the operator that it would like to disrupt, evidence that it is acting illegally and explain the requirements that it would like to be imposed on the ancillary service (for example, for a payment provider to remove their payment services). These are helpful and positive steps which should make it more difficult for people to access these types of harmful websites. Google has now removed paid-for Google Ads promoting ‘Not on GAMSTOP’ affiliate sites which pose a risk to vulnerable consumers. Similarly, operators licensed in Britain could face action by the Commission if they were found to have operated illegally in the jurisdiction of one of the Commission’s international partners.

Others cited research which has been undertaken on safer gambling messaging, including from the Behavioural Insights Team and the Personal Finance Research Centre (University of Bristol). Some respondents from outside of industry stated that safer gambling messages should be designed independently of industry and that some of the existing industry-led safer gambling messages are ineffective. Responses from industry stated that messaging similar to that which is already in place for cash transactions should be put in place, encouraging customers to take regular breaks, set and stick to budgets and to talk to staff and use player management tools. The overwhelming thrust of responses was that any messaging should be based on evidence.

This empowers consumers with granular control over the gambling advertisements they receive. This ensures steady funding for research, prevention, and treatment services while removing industry control over how the funds are spent. The voluntary industry contributions have been replaced with mandatory payments under the new statutory levy system.

This was cited as evidence that promotional offers are desirable to customers, who expect them as markers of difference between operators and may see them as beneficially discounting the costs of gambling. We also received evidence that particular industry advertising practices might carry an unacceptably high risk of harm (explored below). The review also found a causal relationship between exposure to gambling advertising and more positive attitudes to gambling, a greater intention to gamble and increased gambling activity, and that evidence of impact was stronger for children and young people and those already at risk of harm. A recent in-depth umbrella review on the relationship between advertising and gambling-related harm found evidence of a ‘dose-response’ effect where greater exposure to advertising increases participation which carries a greater risk of harm.

Chapter 3: Cashless payments on gaming machines

Some responses argued that product ratings according to a risk index such as ASTERIG could be used to inform product-specific risk warnings. One regularly referenced study found that only 46% of online gamblers are able to correctly interpret ‘return to player’ — the most commonly used metric to convey the chances of winning in online slots. Our proposals in this area are only a small part of the government’s overall vision for stronger regulation of online advertising. These proposals are predominantly an expansion of work that operators are already taking forward to reduce children and vulnerable people’s exposure to advertising, and as such impact on operators should be limited. The Gambling Commission continues to keep this area under review and will not hesitate to take action if there is evidence of standards slipping. These have led the House of Lords Select Committee and others to argue that affiliates should require their own licences from the Gambling Commission to operate in this country.

(Regulation 3 of the 2009 Regulations addresses when a gaming table is to be treated as being used in a casino at a particular time.) Licensees must have and put into effect policies and procedures intended to promote socially responsible gambling, including the specific policies and procedures required by the provisions of section 3 of this code. 2Note that in respect of special category personal data, a further specific basis for processing would also be required. In some cases (for instance, where we are investigating a licensee’s compliance with its social responsibility and anti-money laundering requirements as a result of a gambler stealing funds for gambling over a prolonged period of time), this may involve requesting account data which goes back a substantial period. Under GDPR, data subjects may request that their personal data (including data which may be relevant to regulatory compliance) is erased.

UK Gambling Laws – Everything You Need To Know

• The shift towards online data-driven marketing outlined above is not unique to the gambling sector, and should be considered in the context of the broader digital ecosystem.
• Report issues through the UKGC website at
• If you live in the UK, when January rolls around, expect online casinos to ask you to opt-in to marketing from them.
• “game cycle” means, for an online slots game, the period beginning with the initiation of a game by the individual and ending at the point at which all money staked during the game has been lost or all money won during the game has been delivered to or made available for collection by the individual as the case may be.
• Let’s dive into the key changes on the horizon and what they mean for aspiring casino entrepreneurs.
• For the majority of people in the Gambling Commission’s research, gambling was just another normal activity which they reported feeling completely in control of.

The proposals seek to deliver on the ambition to place the UK’s financial services sector at the forefront of cryptoasset technology and innovation and create the conditions for cryptoasset service providers to operate and grow in the UK, whilst managing potential consumer and stability risks. In most circumstances, these types of products do not constitute gambling and fall outside of the Commission’s remit. These changes, alongside the new agreement between the Commission and FCA, will help to strengthen the response to products which blur boundaries between gambling and other products in future. As outlined above, the Commission consulted on amendments to its licensing approach to make clear that it will not generally license products which appear to the consumer as investment or financial products. The Commission has considered this issue and has concluded that its primary action in this area is to change its approach to licensing products in which long term bets might appear to the customer to be more like investment or financial products.